2nd Grade City Mural

The mural made a terrific stage set for the jazz concert. 

We looked at Francis Guy's painting "Winter Scene in Brooklyn, 1821" to begin our city mural. Although, Guy's painting shows Brooklyn before cars or bridges, our students collectively decided that their mural could contain elements of the past, present and future. Our student teacher, Kevin Farrant worked with Ms. Varriale's class to make roads and cars for the mural. If one looks closely, the Statue of Liberty (by Noa) is visible on the distant shore. Students made self portrait collages to populate their city but since our city was so crowded, we decided that the 2nd graders could be jumping, cartwheeling, running and parachuting around the borders. Nice work, 2nd grade... more later.

Ian's Warrior

Ready for paint...I particularly am impressed by Ian's solution to showing that their leather armor was pieced together and formed a pattern.

A New Year and a New Grant

Hooray! A Donorschoose grant that I wrote so that the third grade could study and create sculptures about the artifacts in the "China's Terracotta Army" exhibition currently on view at the National Geographic Museum in Washington, DC has been awarded to us! The materials have arrived!

The third grade is currently building Model Magic  figures based on photographs, drawings and a reproduction sculpture of  a Chinese warrior (graciously lent to us by Eva Lewandowski). 

I love this project because the students love it and I am very happy that the resources to bring it to this year's third grade are in our hands, literally. 

In this lesson, the students begin by drawing the artifacts to become familiar with the forms and details. Students then build the torsos and heads of the figures over cardboard cones. The cones are removed so that arms and legs can be sculpted and added during the following class. 

I feel like the steps involved provide a basis for a satisfying experience to students that comfortably approach 3-D design and also to those who feel intimidated by the complexity of building 3-D objects. Everyone looks and sounds happy in my observations.